Temporary car door



March 20, A1962 M J, FOR-D ETAL 3,025,908

ATEMPoR/SARY'CAR DOOR Filed Deo. 8, 1958 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent i iifice 3,025,908 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 nectcutFiled Dee. S, 1953, Ser. No. 778,369

2 Claims. (Cl. 1611-363) This invention relates to a temporary car door,and, more particularly, to a temporary car door of a character that isreadily installable across the doorway opening of a freight-carryingvehicle such as a railway boxcar.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel temporary car doorof a character that permits it to be readily and efficiently installedin place across a doorway opening. Another object is to provide alight-weight, disposable closure which is equipped with remforcmgelements effective to withstand the impact of shifting cargoes thatmight bear against the closure. Still another objeot is to provide aclosure or door of the character just described in which the reinforcingelements cooperate prior to installation to maintain the door 1n itsoriginally fabricated condition. Yet another o bJect 1s to provide atemporary closure for a grain-carrying boxcar, or the like, in which theclosure is equipped with reinforcing members along the sides thereofwhich cooperate during installation to provide a rigid frame for thedoor and, once the door is installed, cooperate with the main part ofthe door in resisting cargo s-tress.

A further object is to provide a temporary car door 1n which a flexiblepanel is reinforced by a plurality of flat, flexible straps, the panelbeing generally rectangular in nature and being equipped along its edgeswith separate, but integrally attached, reinforcing elements. Otherobjects and advantages of this invention can be seen as thisspecification proceeds.

The invention will be explained, in an illustrative embodiment, inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG. 1 is afragmentary perspective view of a vehicle interior and showing theclosure of this invention applied across a doorway opening of thevehicle; l n

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section view taken along theline 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along theline 3 3 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the panel portion of theclosure seen in the preceding views but prior to its fabrication intothe form shown 1n those figures.

In the illustration given, the letter A designates `generally a vehiclesuch as a railway boxcar used in the transport of freight. A particularuse of the invention is in connection with grain-carrying `freight cars,and thus the vehicle A may be considered as such. The vehicle A includesa floor B, side walls C, and a doorway D. The doorway D is defined alongits vertical sides by vertical framing posts 10.

Extending across doorway D and secured to framing posts 10, is a closureconstructed according to the invention and designated generally by thenumeral 11. The closure 11 includes a generally rectangular, iiat,flexible panel 12 having a length and height suicient to close thedoorway D.

The panel 12 is preferably constructed of a` material foldable uponitself, i.e., relatively flexible, and is illustrated as being acorrugated paperboard (best seen in FIG. 3). The panel 12, as seen inFIG. 4, is equipped with a plurality of flat, flexible straps 13. Thesestraps are preferably provided interiorly of the panel 12, and may bepositioned between the outer liner 14 and the corrugated core 15.Completing the panel 12 is an inner liner 16. The straps areadvantageously constructed of such flexible materials as plastic orglass fibers.

Extending across the top of closure 11 is a top board 17. As best seenin FIG. 2, the top surface of board 17, which acts as a rigidreinforcing member for the closure 11, is substantially flush with the-top edge 18 of panel 12.

The bottom edge 19 of panel 12, like the top edge 18, is also straight.A second rigid reinforcing member in the form of pry-board 20 is securedto the inner face of panel 12 and parallel to the bottom edge 19, butpositioned a spaced distance therefrom. The portion of the panel 12between the pry-board 20 and the bottom edge 19 is designated by thenumeral 21, and is employed as a floor flap, resting against the floor Bof the vehicle A. The straps 13 are omitted from the Hoor flap 21, thelowermost strap 13 being located adjacent the Apry-board 2t).

Both the top board 17 and the pry-board 20 may be secured to the innerface of panel 12 by an adhesive such as is designated by the numeral 22in FIG. 2.

The panel 12, as originally provided, is equipped with notched-outportions at the four corners thereof, as is indicated relative to onecorner by the numeral 22u in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, the numeral 23designates that portion of the vertical side or edge which is intendedto be flush with the end of pry-board 17. The vertical edge portions ofpanel 12 between the top board 17 and the pry-board 21B, one of theseportions being designated by the numeral 24 in FIG. 4, is folded onitself to form a vertical post or batten element designated by thenumeral 25 in FIGS. 1 and 3. Provided centrally of the post 25 as acore, is a rigid reinforcing element 26, which may be either wood ormetal. The composite post 25, including the core member 26 along withthe main portion of panel 12 lying underneath the post 25, is equippedwith an opening 28, through which a nail 27 or other securing means maybe driven to secure the post 25 into the framing post 10 of doorway D.

Inasmueh as reinforcement of the vertical sides of the panel is derivedfrom the folded portion 24, the core member 26 can be considerablysmaller than the horizontally-extending reinforcing members 17 and 20.This makes it possible for the post 25 and the members 17 and 2t) tohave the same thickness, i.e., their faces remote from the panel 12lying in the same plane.

In the operation of the invention, the completed closure 11 is providedat the time of fabrication. In other words, the top board 17 and thepry-board '20 are already secured to the panel, with the side portionsintermediate Ithese two reinforcing members being folded on themselvesto provide the posts 25. The flap 21, being relatively exible, can befolded upwardly and inwardly to a position of repose `against posts 25,and temporarily tacked thereto, if desired. The closure 11 thus providesa rigid regular unit for shipment, providing, in effect, its own framein the form of members 17 and 20 and posts 25. The posts 25 extendingfrom abutting relation with the bottom member 2t) to lthe same abuttingrelation with top member 17, help rigidity the frame during shipment. Atthe time of installation, it is only necessary to place the closure 11in the position shown in FIG, 1 and drive a few nails 27 through thealigned openings 2S in order to securely anchor the closure 11 to thevehicle A. At the same time, the ilap 21, if previously tacked to theposts 25, can be released, whereupon it falls to the floor and iseventually effectively secured to the floor by the weight of the cargoon it. The pry-board 20, being already in place, serves as a guide foraccurately positioning the closure 11 precisely in the bottom corner ofthe car A, i.e., where the side walls C and floor B intersect. It is inthis area where the pressure of grain is the greatest, and therefore asuperior seal between the closure and the car A is required. During theinstallation, the abutting faces of the posts 25, with the top andbottom members 17 and 20, help rigidify and preserve the rectangularcharacter of the closure l1. This is of distinct advantage over thepreviously-employed temporary closures Where it was necessary often fortwo or more workmen to very carefully tension the door during theinstallation so as tomake sure that no undue stresses were introducedinto the closure at the time of installation. Any inadvertent strainprovided in the door might result in the door rupturing under the impactof the shifting cargo.

While, in the foregoing specification, a description of an embodiment ofthe invention has been set forth in considerable detail for the purposeof explanation, many variations in those details will be perceived bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

We claim:

1. In a grain-carrying freight car having ver-tical door posts defininga doorway and providing post nailing sun faces interiorly of said car, agenerally rectangular flatfaced paperboard panel closing said doorwayand having spaced top and bottom edges, said panel being equipped withouter liners and a corrugated core with the flutes thereof extendingvertically, a plurality of at, spacedapart, non-metallic, exible strapsmounted between said liners and parallel to said edges and beingcoextensive with said panel, the lowermost strap being located at aspaced distance from said bottom edge to provide a floor ilap portion insaid panel, a pair of rigid reinforcing members secured to the face ofsaid panel remote from said surfaces and adjacent the top edge and thelowermost strap, the side edges of said panel between said members beingfolded upon themselves to provide Side battens,

i with said side battens having ends in abutting relation with saidmembers to provide therewith a generally rectangular frame, and nailsextending through said side battens into said door posts.

2. I a grain-carrying freight car having vertical door posts defining adoorway and providing nailing Surfaces interiorly of said car, agenerally rectangular hat-faced exible paperboard panel closing saiddoorway and having spaced top and bottom edges, said panel beingequipped with outer liners and a corrugated core with the flutes thereofextending vertically, a plurality of at, spacedapart, flexible strapsmounted between said liners and parallel to said edges and beingcoextensive with said panel, the lowermost strap being located at aspaced distance from said bottom edge, a pair of rigid reinforcingmembers secured to one face of said panel edjacent the top edge and thelowerrnost strap, respectively, .the side edges of said panel betweensaid members being folded upon themselves to provide side batteus, withsaid side battens having upper and lower ends in abutting relation withsaid members to provide therewith a generally rectangular frame, saidside battens and members having generally the `same thickness dimensionsmeasured perpendicularly to said one face, whereby the said upper andlower ends present support surfaces for said members adapted to maintainthe faces of said side battens and members remote from said panel in thesame plane, and nails extending through said side battens into said doorposts.

References .Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,689,608 Suess a Sept. 2l, 1954 2,792,882 Snyder May 2l, i957 2,797,749Ford et al. July 2, 1957 2,823,745 Hill Feb. 18, 1958

